


Weltschmerz

by that3mokid



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Blood, Brief Nightmare, Chickens, Dan Howell and Phil Lester Are Soulmates, Dogs, Guns, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Knives, Lots of OCs - Freeform, M/M, Mentions of Rape, PTSD, Sexual Tension, Swearing, This Is STUPID, Wow, but i modified it to fit, dan is a moody bitch, first fic, graphic mention of rape, i haven't really edited at all, i worked hard..., idk how to tag, im so confident, no actual rape in here, no animals were harmed in the making of this fic', phil loves animals, please read this, so comment if u see a mistake, this started out as an original story, this story is very incoherent, when i describe them, with lots of unexplained events
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-06-03 16:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19467736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/that3mokid/pseuds/that3mokid
Summary: Phil Lester is a young hermit, who is roped into a twisted (and vaguely incoherent) kidnap rescue when he stumbles upon a wounded stranger near his home.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for being interested enough to click! Hopefully you like this first chapter. Feel free to point out any mistakes (spelling, grammatical or other)

Phillip Lester tugged the curtains into place and stepped back. Night had fallen while he was reading, and the dark woods outside his window were unnerving. It didn't help that he was reading Stephen King’s ‘Pet Sematary’ either. Phil sat back down and took a breath. Despite having lived alone in the woods for a full four years, he couldn't help but be scared. Of course, this was perfectly natural. After all, before this, he had lived in the middle of busy London, with loud sirens, buses, and rowdy drunks at all hours. The decision to move to a forest in Hampshire had come about when his mother passed. Phil had taken a long hard look at his life and decided he hated the way he was living. It was the same day in and day out. The same pressures and deadlines every day. The overwhelming need to conform to society's expectations of a 26 year old, gay dude.

And so, he decided to escape. He quit his job, bought this cabin, and moved into it all in the same month. Now, he passed the days making videos for YouTube, exploring the woods, reading, and caring for all his animals. The YouTube series he had created had emerged from intense loneliness. The only human contact he had was when he went into town for food and supplies. It had started out as a simple video, documenting his experience in hermitage, from a comedic viewpoint. Phil was proud of how it turned out, so he posted it. Surprisingly, the video had gotten over seven thousand views in the first two weeks. Slowly, his videos evolved to simple comedy, talking about him, his life and what was going on in the world. YouTube was now his only source of income.  
As Phil ran his fingers through his black quiff, Fawn, one of Phil's four cats, meowed at him, hopping onto his lap. “Hello kitty cat,” This caught Nally’s and Bear's attention, and the Rottweiler and Golden Retriever tripped over each other, trying to be the first to steal Phil's attention from the feline. Phil patted the three animals in turn, before once more going back to his book. However, he wasn’t able to read for much longer before he found that he could barely keep his eyes open. He set his book down for the second time, prompting Fawn to grumpily leap off his lap, and join her brother, Fred, by the large cat tree. “I think that's my cue to go to bed, huh?” Phil asked Nally. The dog rolled onto her back practically begging for belly rubs. When Phil did not comply, she rose to her feet and followed Phil down the hallway.

On his way to his bedroom, Nally close on his heels, Phil glanced out the kitchen window and was surprised to see smoke rising from the trees. It was just barely visible against the night sky, but still there. Campers weren't uncommon this time of year, but nobody has ever come this close to his home. “Maybe they’ll stumble upon our humble abode,” he mused to his furry companion. Without another thought towards the possible campers, Phil went to sleep, one of his cats curled by his side, and both the dogs snuggled on their bed in the corner.

In the morning, Phil woke up and immediately checked Tumblr. He was greeted with a piece of fanart, featuring him and his goat, Gordon, in a cute cartoon art style. He liked it and praised the artist on their work, reblogging it to his account. It made him happy to have such a large community of devoted followers. After scrolling through his dash for a while, Phil stretched out to pet Bear, who’d joined him on the bed at some point during the night. Nally was, of course, nowhere to be seen.  
After a breakfast of fresh eggs on toast, Phil fed the cats and dogs. Then, he went outside to tend to the chickens, pig and goat. Remembering the smoke from the night before, Phil scanned the treeline on his way to the small barn behind his house. Phil was relieved to find nothing. They had probably moved on by now. After all, it was almost nine o’clock in the morning.

Bellamy, the pig, greeted Phil by snorting and rubbing his back on the fence. “G’morning, Bell! Gordon! Chickens!” Phil greeted his friends. Nally and Bear sniffed around the barn, scaring the chickens while Phil fed the animals. Halfway through, he called, “Bear! Herd!” The dog barked and propped himself up on the fence. With his nose, he nudged the latch, effectively opening the gate door, letting the chickens loose in the clearing beyond. He and Nally followed the chickens outside, where Phil had already laid out the seed.

Phil smiled to himself, still appalled that he'd been able to teach Bear that trick. Nally was a work in progress, though, and wasn't quite at Bear's level yet. “Alright, guys,” Phil addressed the pig and goat. “You two are going to have to hold down the fort for now. I'm going for a hike after this” Phil switched his pitch, making his voice lower, attempting to imitate Bellamy. “I don't care! Just give me my slop, human!” Bell snorted at Phil's impression. “Give me a break, pig!” he sighed, filling the pigs’ trough with the mixture of vegetables and grain.

As Phil refreshed Gordon's water, he heard Bear start to bark. Immediately alarmed, Phil ran outside, a heavy walking stick gripped in his fist. Phil quickly spotted both dogs, who were facing the Eastern end of the clearing. The chickens seemed unconcerned, so whatever was there, it wasn't a fox or bear. Just to be certain, Phil called out, “Nally! Bear! Hunt!”

The dogs stopped barking and raced off towards the tree line, Phil close behind. Soon, they started barking again, signalling that the intruder was close by. Phil surged forward and hopped the short fence, immediately spotting Nally's golden fur through the trees. She and Bear were crouched low, growling at a lump on the ground. Nally barked once and loped towards Phil, leaving Bear to stand guard. He crept up slowly, trying to get a clue as to what they were dealing with. It appeared to be a person, but Phil was still cautious. The lump twitched, causing Bear to growl louder. The Rottweiler was far too intimidating for anyone to risk running away. As Phil crept closer, he was surprised to hear the lump speak. “H-help!”  
The weak moan startled Phil. It took him a moment to realize that the person was alive and conscious. “Bear, heel!” Phil called, closing the distance between him and the person. Bear dropped his menacing stance and joined Phil's side, nipping at Nally’s ear. Phil ignored the playful dogs and addressed the person. “Who are you?”

“H-help m-m-me!” the voice was obviously male and sounded desperate.

“Can you get up?!” He didn’t respond. Phil shook his head and crouched next to the intruder. His eyes widened in shock as Phil realized the young man was covered in blood, grimacing in pain. “Oh, jeez!” he exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “Damnit. Damn. Damn!” The man had passed out, from obvious blood loss.

Phil threw down the stick he was holding and attempted to pick the man up. Unable to, Phil compromised and locked his arms around the man's chest, dragging him as Bear and Nally dandanced around his feet nervously. The man was heavy, and at least four inches taller than himself. Considering he was dead weight, it took at least ten minutes alone to get out of the forest. As quickly as he could manage, Phil rushed back to his cabin, pausing briefly at the fence, trying in vain to get both himself and the man over it, with minimal casualties. “Nally! Bear! Herd!” Phil called, attempting to distract the dogs. They hesitated briefly before following Phil's command.

Inside the cabin, Phil managed to lift the man enough to lay him out on the breakfast bar. As he took mental note of all the things he needs, he turned on the tap to the hottest setting and rushed to the bathroom. He didn't know what was wrong, but he knew he had to fix it. And fast. Armed with an advanced first aid kit and three hand towels, Phil went back to the kitchen. He took out a pair of gloves, cleaning alcohol, bandages and other such provisions. If he screwed this up, it was over. Ambulances can’t come out here, and a ‘copter would take forever. Plus, the closest hospital was four hours away.

First, Phil gave him painkillers, massaging his throat to get him to swallow. “Blood. Blood. Lots of blood,” he chanted to himself as he removed the man's shirt, revealing a gaping wound in his abdomen. Fighting back nausea, he donned a pair of gloves and soaked a towel with the scalding hot water. Quickly making sure he was still unconscious, Phil started to clean the worst of the wound, wiping away both old and new blood. Next, he grabbed the second towel and soaked it with rubbing alcohol and finished cleaning the wound. Now able to see the cut clearly, Phil sighed. It was worse than he thought. Taking a pre-threaded needle and spare lighter from the first aid box, he sterilized it, still chanting in monotone. Phil took the first towel and placed it next to the wound to catch any stray blood drops before piercing the man's stomach with the surgical needle. Once again making sure he was still unconscious, Phil continued the stitch somewhat sloppily. Soon, he had closed the wound and was once again cleaning out the laceration.

After checking his pulse, Phil leaned back, wiping his forehead with his wrist, not wanting to get blood on his face. He’d done it. The man was still breathing unevenly, but his wound was closed and had stopped bleeding. Phil took off the gloves and started to bandage him up with care. “Blood. No more blood. It's gone now. You’re okay. It's all gonna be okay,” he wasn't sure if he was talking to himself, or the sleeping form on his breakfast bar.


	2. Chapter 2

Two days went by without incident. Phil had moved the boy to his bedroom and had set to dressing the wound daily. Nally, Bear, and the cats all sensed something was off, and would often sniff and scratch at the bedroom door. Since when had Phil ever slept on the couch? Who was that strange person who smelled of sick and hurt?

On the third day, Phil was changing the bandages when he woke up. “Becca…” the man murmured drowsily. “Becca, what day is it?”

Not sure what to do, Phil simply asked, “Hello? Who are you?” 

Obviously startled by the unfamiliar voice, the man tried to sit up. “Aargh!” He screamed as the stitches pulled at his skin. “Agh!”

Phil pushed him back onto the bed, hand firmly attached to his shoulder. “Don't move! You’ll tear the stitches!”

“Stitches?” He gasped breathily. His eyes filled with fear as he probed his body, a horrified look crossing his face when he saw the deep maroon scab, crisscrossed with medical thread. “What the hell happened? Where the fuck am I? Who are you-” his words caught in his throat as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He managed to choke out, “I need-” before he passed out once more.

Phil checked his pulse, which was racing, and waited for it to slow down before continuing with his task. When he finished, Phil sighed and replaced the damp towel to the man's forehead. Standing, he regarded the unconscious body warily. “I sure do hope you wake up soon. It'd be nice to have my bed back,” again, he sighed, closing the door gently as he left. 

In the days that followed, Phils time consisted of tending to his animals, the mysterious man and pacing around his home, trying to keep his mind off the man in his bed. One afternoon, he was doing just that, and an intrusive thought entered his mind. Without thinking, he released the thought from the confines of his brain, into the silent kitchen. “There is a man in my bed.” the notion was completely foreign to him. The last boyfriend Phil had had was in high school, and it had not been a great experience for him. “He’s not my boyfriend!” he scolded himself quietly, hitting his temple in an attempt to get rid of the thought.

Having nothing else to do, Phil decided to do a surprise live stream. His followers would like that. Getting his laptop, he settled on the sofa and tweeted a link to the live show. As the number of viewers grew, Phil greeted them. “Hey, guys! How’ve you been? I’m good, though I had an interesting few days. I’m sorry to say that I can’t tell you quite yet, but I'm sure I will soon,” Phil told the laptop. 

Considering it was mid afternoon on a Saturday, he had a surprising amount of viewers. Only when he realized he didn’t really have anything to talk about he decided to read some comments from the chat. “Where are the dogs?! asked BleachBoy” Phil read. “They are right here, actually,” he turned the camera to reveal Nally and Bear passed out next to each other on the couch. “Tell us what happened! Sorry, guys. Can’t do that. Maybe in the next video. I loved the last gaming video says PhillyLover34. Oh, that’s sweet, Thank you! What's new Phil? From JuniperAsh. Well, I’m getting another goat!

“Gordon will have a nice lady friend, now! To be honest, though, I don't think he appreciates Bellamy’s company as much as he should. What are you going to name her? Asked PhillipLestersEyelash. Great name, by the way, love that. But, I don’t actually know. What should I name her? I'm thinking either June or Molly. What do you think?” he gave the chat a few moments to come to a consensus on the name of his new goat.  
“Okay, June it is then! I quite like June, too, it’s a great month. I'm going into town to get her next week, so I’ll be sure to post a few pictures on Insta…” on screen, Phil looked at something in the distance and froze. Just out of view of the camera, standing in the kitchen, was the man. “Um… Guys. I need to cut this short.” He told the laptop. “I know it’s only been, like, ten minutes, but I'll make it up to you, I swear! Alright! Bye!”   
There was an awkward beat between the two before phil spoke up,staring at him with concern. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Where am I?” The man asked in response. Phil was slightly distracted by the fact that he was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. After tending to his wound on the first day, Phil had taken his clothes to wash and had apparently forgotten to set them out for him when he woke up. “Who are you?”

Phil took a moment to plan out his response in the least creepy way possible. “Okay, so, um, you are in the middle of Rangely Forest. I live here. My name is Phillip Lester. Yes, I did stitch you up. Why didn't I take you to the hospital? The nearest one is four hours away. Then, there was simply no need to. You had no fever, and it isn’t infected. You got lucky, now, your turn.” Phil explained quickly, trying to answer as many questions as he could in one go.

“I’m- um, Daniel. Daniel Howell,” he said slowly. His voice was quiet, and he kept reaching up to adjust his hair with the hand not holding the towel in place. “What do you want to know?”

Phil's eyes widened, excited to finally get his answers. “What the hell were you doing in the woods? How did that-” Phil gestured to the wound. “happen? Who is Becca? How old even are you? You look like a kid! And how long have you been in these woods?”

Dan physically recoiled from the onslaught of questions, hesitating beofre rewarding Phil with the information he had waited so long for. “I’m 27… um, I was camping. Becca was- is- a friend... And… I was kinda hoping you'd be able to tell me what happened.” he paused. “Um. what were you doing just then? With the laptop?”

Phil gazed at Dan steadily. “I’m a Youtuber. I was doing a live stream,” he said simply. A smile played on his lips as Fred crept up slowly behind Dan. “Look alive,” he warned.

Dans expression turned to confusion as Phil gestured behind him, jumping when he spotted the curious Tabby. “How many animals do you have? I remember two dogs… and… chickens?”

“Yeah. My dogs, Nally and Bear. The Goat, Gordon, the pig, Bellamy, and the chickens. They’re all named Susan because you can’t really tell them apart. Lastly my cats. Fred-” Phil paused to motion to the cat again, who Daniel was now petting cautiously. “Fawn, Dunkin and Kira.” He watched as Fred nudged Dan, prompting him for more pets. “You can come to sit, y’know. With a wound like that, I don’t expect you have much extra energy,”

Dan straightened and joined Phil on the opposite sofa, leaving Fred alone on the floor. He stared at him with disdain, as most cats tend to do, before bounding away. Dan cleared his throat before speaking. “So, um, this is really weird,” he observed. “Did I happen to have anything with me? Clothes maybe?”

“Oh, your clothes are in the wash. I can give you some of mine for now, though. As for your things, no. I searched the woods a bit but didn’t find anything. If there is something out there, the animals would have gotten to it by now,” Phil informed him.   
“Shit,” Dan muttered. 

Phil watched as Dan stared intently at the floor. “Was there… uh… something important in there?”

“Nah… Just my phone. I really need to see if Becca is safe,”

Phil stood up. “There’s no cell service out here, but I have a landline. You could try calling her,” he told him. “Look, I’m gonna go make something to eat, okay? Get dressed and join me in the kitchen after you call. I can give you the tour when we’re done,”  
Ten minutes later, Daniel joined him in the kitchen, slipping quietly onto one of the barstools. He was dressed in an oversized hoodie that Phil rarely wore and a pair of tight, black jeans. “Any luck?” Phil asked. Dan shook his head and sighed. “Do you want to call the police and file a-”

“No, no, no, no, no,” Dan assured him. “No police,”

Phil cocked his head to the side. “You some sort of criminal?” he joked.

Dan hesitated before answering. “Kinda… Nothing that bad, though.”

There was an awkward silence as Phil finished making the grilled cheese sandwich. He slid it in front of him and placed his own on the counter. “Well, I’ll take solace in the fact that you haven’t tried to kill me,” he smiled and took a bite. “Hope you like tomatoes,” he said around the steaming cheese and bread.

Dan slowly raised the grilled sandwich to his lips and took a small bite, despite the fact that it was burning hot. Dan let out a small moan of appreciation. The bread was perfectly crisped and the cheese was stringy, the richness of it cut by the juicy tomato hidden inside. “Holy shit,” he said when he was finished chewing. 

Phil laughed and put his own food down. “I grow the tomatoes out back. Come on, I’ll show you,” Phil lead him outdoors, Dan still cradling the sandwich.”Over here is the barn, where Gordon and Bellamy are, the shed with all the Susans’. Back there is the garden, and…” he squinted at a brown furred animal stalking something near the fence. “I think that’s Kira. She’s a hunter… Oh, and the fence, which, if you ever decide to leave, you always close behind you. There are a lot of foxes out there, and I don’t want them in here,” Phil explained. As he monologued, Nally and Bear raced up to them and started growling at the stranger. Dan froze, and kept his hands up, afraid the burly rottweiler would bite. “Nally! Bear! Heel!” Phil ordered. Instantly, the dogs dropped their menacing stance and started licking Phil's hands. “They really are big ol’ goofballs once you get to know them,” Phil smiled.

Dan sighed and stared back at the peppy man. “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, it’s just… I really need to find Becca,”

“I know… but you are in no shape to go frolicking around the woods. As your unofficial doctor, I am ordering you to wait until the wound finishes scabbing,”

Dan let out a sharp breath and laughed harshly. “What, did you go to med school or some shit? You can’t boss me around. No offence, but I have no fucking idea who you are!” Dan yelled. 

Sensing the rising tension, Nally and Bear once more took up their defensive stances around Phil, who held up his hands in surrender. “I need you to calm down, Dan, or they will attack you,” he said. “And, for your information, I did go to med school. That, and I have a lot of time on my hands,”

Dan tangled his hands in his hair and threw his head back in anguish. “Nothing is going right! They weren’t supposed to find us! Becca is probably fucking dead, and I’m sitting on my ass, eating cheese sandwiches!” He yelled. Bear barked and stepped closer, about to attack when Dan’s face went pale as he dropped to his knees clutching his gut. “I’m either going to puke or faint, so please get that thing away from me,” he managed before he emptied his stomach on the grass.  
“Bear, heel!” Phil called, rushing up to help Dan.


	3. Chapter 3

“Bear, heel!” Phil called, rushing up to help Dan.

About an hour later, Dan was settled in front of the tv, sipping ginger ale and cursing himself for his outburst. He had already apologized numerous times but didn’t feel he had made it up to Phil. On the other hand, Phil couldn’t care less about his breakdown. He was more worried Dan had reopened his wound, which, unfortunately, he had. Phil was off now getting supplies to clean and re-bandage it.

Meanwhile, Bear and Nally and been guarding him warily, afraid he might try to hurt their master. Phil nearly tripped over the two when he rushed back into the lounge, toting a small medical bag on his shoulder. “Alright, Dan, I’m going to need you to take off your shirt and lie down,” Daniel did as told, gingerly removing the bloodied cloth and settling on his back. Now that Dan wasn’t about to die from blood loss, Phil took a moment to appreciate his slim form and toned stomach. Shaking his head, Phil pulled on a pair of rubber gloves and set to cleaning out the gash. “Are you positive you don’t remember what happened?”

“When I remember, I’ll-” Dan sharply inhaled, wincing in pain as Phil grazed across a particularly sensitive spot.

“Sorry!” he apologized, wiping the wound more gently. After a few moments, Phil spoke up again. “If this hurts, I’ll feel bad for you when it comes to the rubbing alcohol…”

Dan chuckled gravely. “Have you got any real alcohol?” 

Phil brightened at the idea. It may not be the best to have a drunk stranger in his home, but at least the seemingly harmless stranger wouldn’t be in as extreme pain as he was now. “Indeed I do. Whisky or vodka?”  
Dan smiled up at Phil mischievously. “Both.”

He cocked his head to the side, returning the grin. “Gimme two minutes,” and with that, he strode towards the kitchen and retrieved the two desired bottles from the liquor shelf. He had quite the impressive collection, even if he didn’t drink all that often. It wasn’t all that fun getting completely wasted alone, in the middle of nowhere, so he tended to limit his drinking to a glass or two of wine every so often. 

Armed with the liquor, Phil returned to the lounge, where Dan was marvelling at the gash across his torso. “Whatever did this, it got me really fuckin’ good, huh?”

Phil laughed and set the bottles on the coffee table. “When I brought you here, you were nearly dead,” he told him. “Just be glad Bear found you when he did,” at the mention of the dog's name, he lifted his blocky head and started panting happily before rolling onto his back, nearly crushing Nally in the process. 

Dan grabbed the bottle of vodka and held it up towards the dog. “To Bear, for prolonging my measly existence,”

Phil followed his lead, taking a swig off the bottle of whisky before ordering Dan to lie back down. “Take one more. I need to finish this before you pass out drunk,”

Dan obliged, choking down the alcohol with a wince. “Aye aye, Cap’n,” he saluted him before lying back down. Phil got busy on his stomach while Dan distracted himself by flipping through the channels on tv. He finally settled on a rerun of Friends but stared at the ceiling instead of watching. Very quickly, it became apparent that Phil had to make a decision. Warn Dan that he was about to use the alcohol, or just go straight in, without comment? 

Having decided on the latter, Phil poured some onto a the gash, and-

“Motherfucker!” he yelled, scaring Phil. “A little warning would’ve been fucking nice!”

“Sorry, but then you would’ve been expecting it,” Phil defended himself calmly. “Y’know, you were a lot more pleasant to work on when you were unconscious. Now, be quiet and let me finish.”

Dan nodded and clenched his fists, this time ready for the deep stinging sensation in his laceration. Soon enough, it was over, and Dan was ready to drink himself into unconsciousness. But first, he had to take care of something. “Before you bandage me up, is it possible I could take a shower?”

Phil looked concerned for a moment before shaking his head. “Of course. I’ll get you a pair of clothes, and show you how to work the guest shower. It’s a bit tricky,” and with that, he leads him to the guest bedroom, where, he informed Dan, is where he would be sleeping until they figured out a plan.

Phil left Dan to shower, instead going to the basement to retrieve Dan’s clothes. The basement was not nearly as modern as the rest of his house, for it was the only thing that wasn’t upgraded by the previous owner. Originally, the house was meant to be a vacation home for people wanting to get away from the city. Basically a luxury camping ground. Either way, the house was outfitted with two long-term generators, running water, and state of the art appliances. Phil had seen an ad online, boasting the amenities and had somehow convinced the owner to sell it to him, half price. When he had moved in, Phil figured the place would be an absolute dump, but it came with all the ad had promised. Of course, it seemed suspicious at first, but then Phil realized that the owner was probably a drug dealer on the side, and thought Phil was a fellow criminal, looking for a hideout. Not that far-fetched a conclusion when you considered the kind of people that usually hid out in the middle of nowhere.

About twenty minutes later, Dan emerged, still slightly damp and shirtless. “Wrap me up, Chief,” He proclaimed, holding his arms open wide.

Phil had been waiting with the bandages and did just that, afterwards inviting Dan to sit and formulate a plan. “Since your wound doesn’t appear to be leaking, and is in stable condition, I am going to let you go out tomorrow on three conditions,” Phil told him.

Dan scoffed and pulled his oversized sweater down, joining Phil on the sofa. “End the suspense, mate, come on,” he said sarcastically.

Phil raised his eyebrows and held out a finger. “One, you don’t strain yourself,” Phil said, giving the man a glance, and holding up another digit. “Two, me and the dogs come with you. And three. You tell me more about this Becca person, and why the hell you two were out there,”

“Yes to the first two, no to the third”

“Dan!”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

“Dan!”

“Jeez, man, alright!” Dan conceded. “but give me more alcohol!” Phil obliged, handing him the whisky without further complaint. Dan took a long sip, swallowed, opened his mouth to speak, but then thought better of it. He took a second swig off the bottle before beginning his story. 

“Becca and I have been best friends since we were toddlers. We’ve been through everything together, y’know? Anyway, after we got out of school, we parted a bit. We still talked, but not nearly as often as we did in our teens. Anyway, Becca got a job as a waitress and fell into the wrong crowd. She met this guy named Leo, who would take her to these fancy clubs, and dazzle her with expensive drinks and prissy people. Thinking about it now, none of this would have happened if she hadn’t fallen in love with the douche. Leo got her to start doing drugs, and strip for his scum bag buddies. Eventually, she ends up failing a drug test at work and gets fired. Leo breaks up with her and she’s got nothing,

“It’s pretty easy to see where this is headed. She starts selling herself, for money, drugs, food, whatever. She ends up coming to me because she heard I set up well for myself, and I had. I had my own apartment, a stable job, the works. Becca asks me for money, and of course, I help her. What else am I supposed to do, she’s my best mate. I don’t know exactly what happened after that, but somehow Leo got involved again, and the next thing I know, she’s showing up at my door in nothing but a bra and a skirt, claiming someones going to kill her.” Dan pauses and takes another sip of the whiskey. Phil, encapsulated by the story, silently urges him to continue. 

“Of course I don’t call the cops lias normal, sensible person would’ve. Instead, I figure it’s probably nothing, and let her stay at my place, so she feels safe. I even buy a god damned gun, just so that she can sleep at night. One day, I was gone at work, and I check in on Becca. I always do during the day to make sure she hasn’t jumped off a building or some shit, but this time she doesn’t text back. At this point, you’ve got to understand I’m freaking the fuck out. Becca said there were people after her, and that they know where I live, that we’d never be safe there, and this is all I’m thinking about the whole way over. Finally, I get to the flat where one of Leo’s guys has tied Becca up and is fucking her right there on the kitchen floor, while she screams bloody fucking murder. Without even thinking, I pull the gun on him, and shoot him in the back of the head,” a tear slips down Dan’s cheek and he brushes it away hastily. 

“My neighbour called the police, so we grabbed anything we could and got the hell out of there. Becca told me about Rangely, and how a lot of criminals hole up out here, so we bought a tent and a shit ton of food, and have been living out here for a few weeks. Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me, Becca and I have been on the news every day since,” Dan let out a humourless chuckle, tears still slipping down his face. “Leo’s guys must’ve found us because I remember seeing someone in the woods and screaming at Becca to run. The guy caught up to me, roughed me up,” he paused and touched the bruise on his temple, which was still a sickly yellow. He continued. “and, I guess, shanked me in the gut. Then, he was gone and I was running. At some point, I tripped over something and smacked my head off the ground. Next thing I know, I have two dogs growling at me and some scrawny dragging me through the woods,”

Phil stared at Dan in disbelief, trying in vain to digest his story. As they sat in silence, Dan buried his face in his hands and let out a sob. Quickly, Phil scooted closer and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, rubbing small, soothing circles on his back. They sat that way for a while, Phil watching the hands on the clock tick by with a blank stare. He couldn’t believe Dan had been through all of this and was still able to act as if nothing were wrong. To be fair, though, his emotional state had been somewhat of a rollercoaster, and Phil didn’t blame him. He was stressed, and angry and scared out of his mind. Phil had read about all the ways people dealt with emotionally traumatic situations, and Dan’s sarcastic demeanour and angry outbursts fit exactly. After about ten minutes, Dan spoke up, ripping Phil from his thoughts. “I killed a man, Phil, and you aren’t even scared of me,” he mumbled. “Why?”

Phil took a minute to organise his mind. “The man you shot was harming your best friend. You had no choice,” Phil swiped Dan’s curls out of his face and lifted his chin. “Look, it’s late. You’ve had a long day. I think it’s best if we both just went to sleep, and figured this out in the morning,” they stared at each other for a moment, searching the other's eyes.

Dan nodded and stood, tearing his eyes away from Phils. “Sorry about that. I’m not usually so… emotional,”

Phil smiled sadly and guided his guest down the hall. “No, no, it’s totally fine. You deserve to feel something every once in a while.” He told him, “I’m right down the hall if you need anything, alright?”  
Again, Dan nodded, disappearing into the dark guest bedroom, leaving Phil to ponder his story once more.

Phil laid in bed for a long time, thinking about everything Dan had told him, even getting up to Google him once. Nothing Dan had done was really all that bad, of course, except for killing that man, but that was in defence of his friend. Regardless of Dan’s actions, Phil kept wandering back to Becca. He felt especially bad for this poor girl, so easily persuaded to do such horrible things. The thing that bothered him the most is, nobody knew where she was. In his brief Google session on Dan, he hadn’t seen anything mentioning her whereabouts, or even what she was originally being charged with. All it had said was that she had run away, with Dan, and a brief synopsis of her checkered past.   
With all these thoughts floating around his head, Phil fell into a restless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kinda weird... Light smut and a brief nightmare.

Phil woke up, surprised to see Dan, standing in his room. “Hey Phil, ” he purred. The almost stranger stood, shirtless, his chocolate curls in disarray.

“What’re you doing?” Phil asked, confused. 

Dan smiled and sauntered towards the bed where Phil was sitting. “Shh,” he whispered, pushing him backwards, straddling his waist. “I want to thank you for taking care of me, Phil… so,” Dan lowered himself so his face was inches away from Phils. “let me take care of you?” with a gulp, Phil nodded, his nether regions stirring as Dan leaned forward to catch Phil's lips with his own. Dan moaned into the kiss, vibrating Phil's lips and turning him on even more. As Phil wrapped his arms around Dan's neck, he opened his eyes, horrified to see his ex instead of Dan. Quickly, he shoved Marcus off of him, backing up to press his back against the wall. “What, Phil?” he asked. “Don’t you love me?” his voice was distorted and creepy sounding. 

“This isn’t real. You can’t hurt me again!” Phil yelled, watching as Marcus’ face started to drip like acid. Just as he was about to attack, Phil's eyes flew open.

As he caught his breath, he thought about the vivid nightmare. It wasn’t unusual, after what Marcus had done to him, but this had a whole new layer of what the fuck added in. Why had Dan been there? Did he actually like Dan like that, or was it simply a side effect of being alone for so long?

Phil shook his head and stood up, surprised to find Dan mewling pitifully in front of his bedroom door. Usually, he left it open a crack so that the animals could come and go as they liked during the night, but he had shut it tightly before he went to bed.   
With a sigh, Phil got up and let the cat out, surprised to find Dan’s door was already opened, and chatter from the tv was coming from the living room. Groggily, Phil stumbled down the hallway, curious as to Dan’s whereabouts. The semi-criminal was seated on the couch, flipping through an old copy of The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connely while BBC World News played in the background. “Morning, Dan,” Phil greeted him.

“Hey, Phil, ” he said. Dan put the book down and stood up. “Are you okay? I heard you yelling a few minutes ago,” he said. “I wanted to check on you, but…” Dan trailed off, twidling his thumbs nervously.  
Embarrassed, Phil blushed. “Just a nightmare,”

Dan looked at the floor awkwardly. “Do you wanna… um, talk about it?”

Shaking his head, Phil laughed. “No, I’m all good,” he reassured him. “You eat?” now it was Dan’s turn to shake his head. “How’s french toast sound?”

“Delicious,” He moaned. Phil winced inwardly, remembering his dream. “Can I help?”

Brushing aside the discomfort, Phil responded with, “Sure. Then we can talk about our impromptu search party,” he smiled, ushering Dan into the kitchen.

“Alright. So, I have absolutely no idea what you and Becca did, or where you guys went during your stay in le woods, so you’ll have to guide me to your last stop,” Phil said around a mouthful of strawberry. His mood had improved exponentially since his confusing dream, and he was just as excited as Dan to go hiking. Of course, there was a dark undertone to the whole thing, the lingering thought of, What if we don’t find her? What if we do? A thousand ‘what ifs’ circling their minds.

Dan nodded and swallowed his own bite. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to show you exact spot, but, yeah, that.” The two shared a smile and went to work on their breakfast.

An hour later, they had washed the dishes, fed the animals, packed two bags with food, water and medical supplies, and were almost ready to head out. 

“C’mon, Phil! Hurry up already, let’s get out of here!” Dan bounced on the sofa, reminding Phil of a child.

“Calm down and hold still! I just want to check it!” With a sigh, Dan stopped and took off his sweater, about to remove the bandages when Phil stopped him, laughing. “Be careful! You’ll rip it!” Gently, Phil teased the medical tape off Dan's stomach and peeked underneath. Satisfied with what he saw, he replaced the tape and stood up. “Now we can go.” 

The two headed back outside, grabbing their packs and calling for the dogs on the way. The first hour of hiking was filled with quiet chatter, telling the other his main interests and stories of their families. Phil told Dan about why he moved out there in the first place, sharing the emotional turmoil he had gone through. The deep, everlasting depression he had been stuck in and had overcome. After a while, though, their conversation hit a dip, and they were left in a comfortable silence. Phil couldn’t help but marvel at the quickness of their friendship. They’d known each other for less than 72 hours, and yet he felt as if they’d been friends for years. They had instant chemistry that was hard to explain, or even understand for that matter.  
After about another half an hour, Dan stopped to check the map Phil had found before they left. “What’s up, mate?” Phil asked, joining his side. After giving Dan a quick glance, he looked forwards, surprised to see the remnants of a campsite scattered between a few trees.

With a nod, Dan returned the map to the pocket of his borrowed sweatshirt and said, “This is it. She might still be there,”

Before Dan could keep going, though, Phil stopped him. “Dan, I don’t think so. From here it looks pretty run down,” he said. “An animal might’ve gotten to it… or even Leo,” 

Dan held up a warning finger and took a sharp breath. “Don’t, Phil…” he growled, dropping his hand. He breathed out. “Just… don’t.”

Holding his hands up in surrender, Phil followed behind, sending the dogs ahead to scare off any remaining animals… or people. 

It was a short walk to what remained of the campsite, that is to say, anything remained at all. The tent was torn to shreds, and what Dan confirmed to be his backpack had been ransacked, the inedible contents were strewn across the small clearing. Luckily, they were able to find Dan’s cell phone, even if it was at zero percent. The thing that had them the most worried, though, was the note Phil found impaled to a nearby tree by a knife. It read, 

We have the slut. Meet us three miles from here in two days or we kill her.  
-L  
“Dan, you’ve been here for a full week, and have only been awake for two days of that. I don’t know what you want to do at this point,” Phil told him gently. After finding the note, they had sat down for a break, eating the protein bars Phil had packed while the dogs drank some water. 

Dan rubbed his face roughly and buried it in his hands, mumbling, “Me neither, T. If they do have her, she’s dead, but… I don’t think Leo would kill her…” he sat up, gazing at the note again. “Hey, what is three miles from here? In any direction?”  
Phil thought for a moment before answering. “North is more woods. West is the highway, then a small town. East is… you guessed it, more woods, and south is just a little past my place… Aka, more woods.” Phil said. “Rangely is pretty damn big, why?”  
Dan stood up and started pacing angrily. “Why would they choose three miles from here specifically? Is it where they set up camp? Is there another house somewhere, what?”

“Dan, calm down a bit, for all, we know it’s completely random,” 

“But if it’s not? Then what?” Dan asked, his wide eyes boring into Phils. “Y’know, how long does it take to walk three miles?”

Phil thought back to his previous hikes through the forest. “An hour at least… But not wounded, Dan. You can’t strain yourself, or we won’t be going anywhere,” he told him. “In fact, I think we should head back,”  
Dan laughed humourlessly and started pacing again. “Why bother? We have a tent, and food, lets camp here!” he stopped for the second time. “We can walk a little further and set up. I’ll even let you put that weird ointment you brought on me,”  
Phil blushed. “It’s anti-bacterial!” he defended himself.

“Whatever! What do you say to a camp with a murderer?” Dan held out a hand to his companion.

Phil took it, letting Dan hoist him up. “Fine! But the moment you even elude to being in pain, we stop. Got it?”

“You got it, Cheif” And with that, both humans and canines were off.


	6. Chapter 6

The two were able to make it at least a half mile before Dan called water break, alerting Phil. Despite his protests, Phil made them stop and set up camp. Their tent was relatively small, and neither of them had brought sleeping bags, though, Phil claimed that they’d cross that bridge when they came to it, considering they still had about four hours of sunlight left. After starting a fire, feeding the dogs and reinforcing the tent, the two men sat against opposite trees and tried to keep their minds off of Becca, by chatting some more. 

“What about girls?” Dan asked, stroking Nally’s golden fur. The retriever had taken a certain liking to Dan, while Bear was still weary.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you date?” he laughed. “A solid hunk like you must have someone!”

Phil chuckled, startling the snoozing rottweiler by his feet. “I do date, just not girls… And not very often either,” He explained. “In fact, I haven’t dated since moving out here. What about you?”  
“Bisexual, actually,” Dan smiled. “As for dating,” he shrugged. “Not so much,”

Phil nodded, thinking for a moment. “Were you and Becca ever…” he trailed off, hoping his sentence could finish itself.

Dan looked confused for a split second before shaking his head fiercely. “No! Becca and I are like siblings! We never, uh, dated,” Dan cleared his throat. “So, what are we supposed to do for the next, what, five hours?”

“Three and a half,” Phil corrected him, holding up a finger. He dug into his pack, revealing two books. “I have some reading to catch up on, so,” he said tossing one to Dan. It was the same book he had been perusing earlier.  
“It’s been a while since I read a good book,” Dan mused.

Phil cocked his head to the side and plunged his hand back into the pack. This time he pulled out a tube of medicine. “Okay, but first, while I’m in my backpack, I do want to put that stuff on you,”

“I guess a promise is a promise,” Dan groaned, already removing his sweater and shirt. As Phil undid the bandages for the second time that day, Dan said, “You’re really good at this, y’know,”

It took a second for Phil to respond. “I have to be. If this were to happen to me, I’d have to take care of myself long enough for an emergency helicopter to find me. Plus, I went to med school for three years,”

“Only three?”

“The plan was to be a pediatrician, but I dropped out,” Phil said nonchalantly. “That was the beginning of my great depression. What about you?”

“Well, you and I have something in common. I dropped out of law to become a journalist,” Dan winced as Phil applied the cold cream. “I worked for BuzzFeed, writing articles about has-been celebrities and obscure diets.”

“The dream life,” Phil joked. 

“The one and only,"

They fell into a comfortable silence, both returning to their tree to read until the sun disappeared. Unfortunately, the heat from the day carried into the night, so only an hour after falling asleep, the men woke up in an uncomfortable sweat. Dan suggested they sleep outside with the dogs, but that idea was put to rest when reminded of the brutal mosquitos. Instead, they stripped down to their boxers and slept back to back for the rest of the night. 

In the morning, before they got dressed, Dan couldn’t help but notice seven parallel scars covering Phil's back. They were raised slightly, and a startling pink against his pale skin. He wanted to ask about them but felt it too a personal question, especially at eight in the morning. After the two got dressed and had a breakfast of half a protein bar, they gathered their things and set off once more.

Since the note hadn't specified a direction, they decided to walk the three miles north, and then head east, using their campsite was a point of origin. North and east were the only logical courses of action, considering the highway was to the west, and Phils home was south.

The conversation was minimal for the first hour of walking, considering they had barely eaten, were still half asleep, and worried out of their minds, but around ten o’clock, Phil called a break.

“Dan, I just realized we have no weapons. No plan of action,” Phil told him. “If they’re still there, we’re screwed,”

Dan grinned and reached into his pack. “I found my gun back there and a few bullets,” he revealed the firearm briefly before tucking it into the waistband of his jeans. “And I might’ve stolen a few knives from your kitchen,” Dan admitted, revealing a serrated bread knife and a meat cleaver. 

“Smart,” Phil grinned, grabbing the meat cleaver from him. “Any other surprises in there?”

“Apples,” Dan smiled, grabbing those as well. He handed one to Phil. 

Although it was badly bruised, Phil savoured the sweet taste. When he swallowed, he smiled at Dan. “Why to thank you, Mr Theif,” he chuckled.

Dan shared his laughter, and shrugged on his pack, biting into his apple. “You said to bring anything we might need, so I did just that,” he said. “I am guilty of nothing, my Sir,”

Phil raised his brow and lapsed into a posh accent. “Quite the contrary, Mister,” Phil picked up the dogs’ water bowl and put it back in his bag. Dan waited patiently for him to put his backpack on. “I’m afraid you’ve stolen something quite irreplaceable,”  
Dan matched his pretentious accent. “And what might that be?”

Phil stood and leaned in next to his ear. “It’s a secret,” he whispered, immediately pulling away and trotting ahead playfully.

Dan shook his head, and surged ahead, a smile still playing on his lips.

As they walked in silence, Phil couldn’t help but glow. He was completely and utterly infatuated. There had been doubts before, but now he was sure. Despite the circumstances, Phil was enjoying himself. He was enjoying being with Dan. It was so easy to talk to him, and Phil never got bored with the things he had to say and vice versa. As he pondered his newly found feelings, a disturbing thought broke through the happy barrier. What happens after this? If they found Becca alive, there was no doubt the two would flee again. It would be idiotic to stay in the same woods they’d been captured in. But if they found her dead, or not at all, would Dan stay? Where would he go if he left? 

Dan’s voice broke through the wall of thoughts Phil had subconsciously created. “Phil? What’s the matter?”

“What happens after this?” He blurted out. Dan looked vaguely confused, so Phil explained himself. “After we find her, I mean. Will you stay?”

Dan paused. “Well, I mean… It depends. Why do you ask?”

Phil blushed and locked his eyes on the ground. “No reason. Just wondering,” he mumbled. They started walking again. After a few minutes, Phil spoke up again. “I mean, would you consider staying here?” he asked.

Dan shrugged. “As I said, it depends, but if I had the choice, then yeah. I guess I’d want to stay,”

Phil was about to tell him he was welcome no matter what, but Bear barked, alerting the both of them. They ducked down and looked ahead. Just beyond a row of bushes, there was a tiny shed, set in the middle of a small clearing. There was no sign of anyone, but they still crouched behind the bushes and ordered the dogs to heel, so as to make sure they wouldn’t bark again.

“I’ve never seen that shed before, but it looks pretty old,” Phil whispered. “It might not even be it,”

“No, it’s it,” Dan's demeanour was grim, completely devoid of the carefree man with whom Phil had walked through the woods. “I’m sure of it. Now, let’s go kick some ass,” Dan moved to stand up, but Phil stopped him.

“We don’t know how many of them there are!” he hissed.

“Two. Maybe three. Enough that they all fit inside that dinky little thing. Now, I’m going to go, whether you come with me or not.” 

And with that, Dan sprinted as best he could towards the shed. Shaking his head, Phil ordered the dogs to stay and followed close behind. After circling the shed and peeking into the single dirt covered window, they confirmed there was only one person in there. “I’m gonna break down the door. You stay out here in case he gets by me, okay?” Dan told Phil. Phil nodded and pulled out both knives, trying to prepare himself in case he actually needed to stab someone. Dan silently counted to three, slamming his foot into the weak door and shouting, “Drop your weapon!” as he stormed in. The man inside presumably complied, for Dan then asked, “Where is Becca, you piece of shit?”

“They took her somewhere. I don’t know where,” he replied, his voice gravelly. As Phil listened from outside, he noticed something off. Dan should have a gun pointed at the guys face, and yet he didn’t sound the least bit afraid. Phil scanned the tree line, tuning Dan out. Something was there, moving just beyond his range of vision. 

Too late did Phil realize what was going on. As Leo’s small army stormed the shed, Phil yelled, “Dan, they’re here! Dan they-” Something impaled itself in Phil's throat, and he fell to his knees. He reached up and pulled some sort of dart out of his jugular. He readied himself to yell again, but a powerful wave of dizziness knocked him to the ground, his cheek pressed painfully into the dirt. He watched, helpless, as about ten guys surrounded them. Dan came into Phil's restricted view, his hands held behind his head. His eyes caught Phils as someone kicked the back of his knees. Phil wanted to say something, but couldn’t make his mouth work as they started beating on Dan.

He helplessly drifted into unconsciousness, watching as one of the men pummeled Dan with his fists.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of Rape/Mild Gore

Phil was woken up by a cold, wet splash of water directly to the face. Coughing and sputtering, he attempted to wipe away the remaining water from his eyes with no success. His hands and feet were bound tightly to the chair he was sat in. “Wakey, wakey, little baby,” Someone sang. The voice was familiar.

Phil's eyes snapped open, horrified to see his suspicion was correct. Standing before him was Marcus, holding a small knife in his left hand. “Remember me?” he asked, twirling the blade between his fingers.  
“Why are you here?” Phil whispered, his voice trembling.

From across the room, Phil heard Dan shout, “Don’t give them anything!”

Without taking his eyes off his, Marcus held up his free hand and curled it into a fist. Seconds later, Phil heard a thump and Dan's pained groan. “I have a better question, Philly,” Marcus purred. “Why are you with him?” Phil gulped but kept his mouth shut.  
“I think he needs some encouragement,” another man laughed, striding towards Phil.

With the gracefulness of a cat, Marcus blocked his path, the small knife threatening to impale itself into his gut. “Nobody touches this one, but me, got it? Not even Leo!” The man stepped off as Marcus turned back to Phil. “I’ll tell you why I’m here,” he mused, caressing the knife. “You see, during our time together, I got a taste for it. That power. Hearing someone scream underneath me. The absolute struggle…” He trailed off, sighing contently. “I get off on it, frankly… Anyway, I got sloppy, and the police decided to get off their lazy arses and do something about it.” He laughed a bit. “Next thing I know, this guy named Leo is offering to bail me out if I join his crew. Raping as a form of torture. And now here we are, so why don’t you tell me how you ended up back in my grasp?” He crouched in front of Phil so that his head was right in front of his crotch.

Trying to close his legs, Phil managed to stutter, “I-I-I don’t k-know, I swear.”

Marcus sighed, standing up. “Y’know, I really wish you didn’t feel the need to lie to me,” He quirked his eyebrow. “Because you know exactly what I’ll do, and I won’t hesitate to make your friend watch.” he smiled again. “Maybe that’ll get at least one of you to talk, because, let me guess,” Marcus bent over next to Phil's chair so they were side by side. Pointing to Dans unconscious form, he said, “That is the new boyfriend, isn’t it? And he knows all about me. You two probably haven’t even fucked, have you?” he stood and addressed the guards hidden in the dark corners of the room. “Give him an hour to wake up, then get me, got it?”

And with that, Marcus and the three others stalked out of the small room, shutting and locking the door behind them.

As tears leaked from his eyes, Phil whispered to Dan. “Dan, you need to wake up. Please, please, please wake up,”

“I’m awake, Phil, it’s okay,” Dan whispered back without lifting his head. “I need you to look around and see if there are any cameras, okay?”

Phil obliged, scanning the ceiling and walls for the tell-tale blinking red light. Finding nothing, he turned back to Dan. “Nothing,” he sniffed and wiped his nose on his shoulder.

Dan immediately lifted his head and sighed. Phil was taken aback by the state of Dan’s face and body. He was tied down, just like him, except he was shirtless, and covered in dirt, blood and bruises. The entire left side of his face was swollen, his eye barely able to open, and the bandages Phil had lovingly applied were soaked in blood. “Phil, how do you know him?” Dan’s voice sounded thick, whether from the wounds or from worry, Phil didn’t know.

“He was my last boyfriend,” another tear escaped. “Every time he raped me, he would cut my back with that stupid knife,” Phil told him. “And he’s going to do it again if we don’t get out of here,”

“It’s okay, P,” Dan reassured him, thinking back to what he had seen in the tent. “I have a plan, alright? Just trust me.” After Phil nodded hesitantly, Dan turned in his chair as best he could. “Hey!” he yelled. “We’re ready to talk! He-e-ey!” 

After a few minutes, the large metal door creaked open, revealing Marcus and the man who’d punched Dan. “I’m glad you came around,” Marcus smiled.

Dan scoffed. “We’ll talk, but not to you.” he straightened up, trying to appear more confident. “We want to talk to Leo,”

“Someones got balls, Rick,” Marcus elbowed his companion, who laughed meanly. After a few seconds of contemplative silence, Marcus nodded. “I’ll let you talk to Leo. . . If you stab little Phil, ” 

Both men froze, catching the others eye. Phil dipped his head hesitantly, hoping Dan would understand the gesture. He must’ve because he looked back to Marcus and nodded. “Fine,” 

With a knowing smirk, he gestured for Rick to untie him. “If you try to stab either of us, he’ll get it. Do you understand?” he asked, holding out the small the knife.

Dan nodded, taking it when his hands were freed. As soon as his feet were untied, Dan stood and closed the gap between the two. “Left shoulder,” Phil hissed, knowing that he would still be functional if he wasn’t able to use his left arm. 

Dan nodded and mouthed a quick, “I’m sorry,” before plunging the short blade into the advised area. Phil let out an involuntary scream, and started to wheeze, trying to breathe through the pain. 

As Phil writhed in pain, Marcus started to clap slowly. “I didn’t think you’d do it,” he admitted. “Kudos.” He signalled Rick with a nod, who pushed Dan backwards, and tied him back up. Dan didn’t bother struggling, only sitting there limply as Rick secured him. When he was done, Rick left, presumably to get Leo, but Marcus stayed. “Smart choice, going for the shoulder,” he commented, grasping the handle of the knife. It was still protruding from Phil, and they all knew what was coming next. Marcus yanked out the blade and wiped it on his shirt. “That way, he can still run, and even fix up that beaut,” As blood soaked Phil's shirt and tears ran down his face, Marcus ran the blade down Phil's chest, before ripping the fabric, exposing Phil's pale skin.. 

“I used to love you,” Phil whispered, his voice cracking halfway through.

Marcus only laughed, grabbing Phil's chin harshly. He jerked his head up to look him in the eye. “And I used to like consensual sex, what’s your point?” 

“You are insane!” Dan yelled, finally getting fed up with the egotistic man. “You belong in hell, you monster!”

Marcus let go of Phil and turned to Dan. “So I was right,” he said. “You are the new boyfriend… Let me ask you,” he paused, leaning in close. “What would you do if I fucked his pretty little ass right here?” Dan was silent, trying not to give Marcus the satisfaction. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do. When Leo is done with you guys, I’m going to make you watch as I destroy him, for the eighth time. And if Leo lets you go alive, he will have to live with that his entire petty life. I might even ask Leo to let him go, just so I can keep ruining his life, over and over and over again. He will always be the victim, and nothing you do can change that,” He whispered harshly.

Dan locked his jaw and said nothing, instead holding back the urge to headbutt the foul-breathed monster. Luckily, the two only had to endure him a little bit longer before what seemed to be Leo stepped through the metal door. “That’s enough, Marcus,” he ordered. Marcus immediately stepped away from Phil, where he had been teasingly kissing his neck, and biting his ears. “Untie them. They’re not animals,” he ordered his lackeys. The two burly men released their limbs, and another brought Leo his own chair. Without waiting for the men to finish uniting them, Leo addressed Phil lazily. “I don’t necessarily have anything against you, but since you came here with Dan, I guess we’ll figure something out for you, huh?” He turned to point at Dan. “Now you. You… I have a problem with. You killed one of my guys.” 

He paused as if expecting a response. Hesitantly, Dan spoke up. “He was raping her. I had no choice.”

Leo clicked his tongue and leaned back. “No choice? Man, you know everything about my… organization thanks to her. The only reason I haven’t killed you yet is that I knew you wouldn’t go to the cops,” he ran a hand over his blonde buzzcut. “You had a choice. Don’t lie to me. Now, what I’m confused about, is why you would come here, even after I had Sean give you that warning,” Leo said, gesturing to Dan’s stomach. “Pretty reckless if you ask me,”

“I came to get Becca-”

“The girl is dead. I gave you two days,”

Dan slammed his fist against the arm of the chair, causing the guards to reach for belts and pockets. “Liar! You wouldn’t kill her, and I know it!”

Leo leaned forward again. “Dan, I need you to calm down, or I’ll have to tell one of my guys to shoot you, and that’d be a shame,” his voice was quiet, even. Nothing at all like Dan's loud and broken yell. Dan's muscles stayed tensed, his jaw jutted out angrily. “Do you want proof that she’s dead?” Leo asked calmly. Dan said nor did anything. 

Leo took his lack of response as an affirmation, and he signalled to one of his guys. He pulled a folder from the inside of his jacket and handed it to Dan. Quickly, he opened it, flicking his eyes up to Leo when he saw the first picture. “That’s not her,” he said confidently. “Becca has black hair. This womans is dark brown. You can see it in the light,”

As Dan handed the folder back, Phil caught a glimpse of its contents. On top, there were two photos. One was of a woman lying face down in a puddle of blood. Her shirt was ripped open in the back, and you could see a dozen or so stab wounds, all leaking blood. Next to the body was a newspaper, and what seemed to be the knie that ended her life. The other photo was of Becca sitting in a chair similar to their own, with duck tape over her mouth. Even in the brief glance, Phil had managed, he could see the fear burning in her eyes. “You can tell yourself that, Dan. It won’t change the truth,” Leo sighed, taking the folder from him. “Now. I really want to kill you. But, I’ve killed so many people this week, and it’s getting a bit tedious,” he paused and turned to the man who had had the folder. “Which is why I’m going to have Frank kill you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any Ideas for a title? I really have no idea, and its almost over


	8. Chapter 8

Frank pulled out his gun and aimed it at Phil's forehead. Leo got up to leave, but Phil shouted, “Wait!” saying nothing, Leo turned back around. “You don’t want to do this,” he warned him. “People will miss me. They’ll know it was you.”

“I doubt your Mama will know I killed you.”

“No. No, she won’t. But at least one person in my six million follower base will put two and two together,” he said. “Google my name, I’m not joking. My followers will know something is wrong. They’ll pressure the police. They’ll find the clues I set up for them… And I did set them up. Before I came here, Dan told me what a risk it was. I made sure that if I was killed, they’d be able to find you.”

Only half of it was true, but at this point, Phil was willing to do anything to get the gun away from his head. “If what you say is true, then what am I supposed to do? If I let you go, you’ll go to the police. If I kill you, six million strangers will be on my back. Either way, I lose, am I correct?”

“No. I won’t go to the police. You forgot I’m guilty of harbouring a criminal. Dan told me what he did, and I didn’t contact the authorities. I’m just as guilty as he is.”

Leo nodded and looked towards Dan, who tried to hide his confusion. He clicked his tongue and turned back towards the door. “if you’re lying, you’ll be sorry,”

And with that Frank lowered the gun, and all but himself left the small, dark room. Due to the presence of the menacing guard, Dan and Phil refrained from discussing what had just happened. What Phil had told Leo. During the hour that Leo was absent, Dan managed to relocate his nose, while Phil wiped up the blood from his face, neck and shoulder. They were allowed to stand up for about ten minutes, in which they were able to hold a short conversation.

“Dan, if we die here, I want to let you know, that I think it was worth it… fixing you up I mean, and that…” he paused and took a deep breath. Quickly, before he could back out, Phil grabbed Dan's swollen cheeks and pulled him into a tender kiss, being careful of the bruises and cuts on his face.

Despite his pain and fear, Dan managed to smile goofily when they pulled apart. Rubbing the back of his neck, he muttered, “Well, now we have to get out of here alive,”

“Hey!” their guard barked, bringing them back to their horrid reality. “No funny business!” 

The two men limped back to their chairs, their eyes hardly leaving the other. Shortly thereafter, Leo returned, holding a tablet. “Impressive, Mr Lester,” he sighed. “Although, I don’t see any of your fabled ‘clues’,”

Quickly thinking of a response, Phil confidently said, “Of course you didn’t. Most of the clues are embedded in previous messages, and the ones that aren’t are set up in my queue, so they’ll be posted later.”

Leo said nothing to either of them, instead turning to Frank. He whispered something in his ear, and the burly man nodded and left. Turning back to them, Leo smiled tightly. “I don’t even know why I’m taking all of this into account. I could always hire someone to hack into your account and get rid of everything. Wipe it all away,” he told them. Dan and Phil shared a worried glance. “And yet, you have successfully persuaded me not to kill you,” His smile disappeared. “Which is why I’m gonna kill this one instead,” Leo gestured loosely towards Dan. Without taking his eyes off Phil, he retrieved a gun from his belt and pointed it at Dan’s head. “Any last words?” he whispered. 

“Please don’t do this, I’m-”

Phil's plea was interrupted by a commotion in the hallway. Leo rolled his eyes and lowered the gun, striding impatiently towards the door. He yanked it open to reveal several men wrestling someone back. Above the din, a voice called out, “Danny! Danny, I’m here!”

Leo swore and pushed through the men. Phil and Dan watched tensely between the arms of two of them as Leo smacked Becca to the ground. “Who let her out?!” He shouted. “Because she sure as hell didn’t get out of there on her own!” On the floor, Becca attempted to crawl between the guards’ legs but was thwarted when they moved closer together, effectively blocking their view at the same time. “Take her back to her cell, you morons!”

As they gathered Becca and dragged her off, still screaming, Dan pounded the chair with his fist. “We’re leaving, right the fuck now,” He growled, standing up. As the two guards carried Becca away, Leo reentered the room, reaching for his gun, but before he could grasp it, Dan hurled the wooden chair at him. Before he could regain his footing, Dan was on him, punching and kicking and swearing to no end. Eventually, Phil has to pull him off the drug lord, for fear that the guards might come back. With a final kick, Dan righted himself but thought better of it. Reaching down, he took the gun from Leo’s belt and cocked it.

Leo watched through swollen eyes as Dan cocked the gun and pointed it at his face. “How does it feel, Leo?” Dan whispered. “Knowing you’re about to die, and you can’t do anything about it?” 

“Dan?” Phil asked, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Dan leave him. He’s not worth it. We need to get out of here.”

Dan looked to Phil, pain clear in his eyes. He lowered the gun. Leo laughed loudly, pointing at him. “You couldn’t kill twice, I knew it!” 

With a frown, Dan shook his head, took aim, and fired a single round into Leo’s face, ceasing his laughter for good. “That felt a lot better than the first time,” he mused grimly. “We need to get you a gun… let's go,”

As they raced through a dizzying amount of hallways, Phil asked, “What's the plan?”

“Get you a gun. Get Becca. Get out,”

Phil nodded. “Sounds reasonable. But where we gonna get me a-” Phil's sentence was cut off when they rounded a corner and ran into a lone man. He was caught off guard by their sudden presence, so Dan was able to easily overpower him, bashing the butt of the gun harshly into his temple. The man barely had time to hit the ground before Dan was prying the pistol from his hand. He handed the gun to Phil, who took it hesitantly. “Well… That’s two down, one to go,” Phil laughed nervously. As they ran quietly towards the closest gun stand, Phil spotted three different guards roaming around. He pointed them out as Dan handed him a small pistol. 

Ignoring his observation, Dan simply pointed to the gun. “That’s the trigger. That’s the safety. You pull that back before you pull the trigger, and voila. A dead guy,” Dan explained quickly. “Let’s go!”

They retraced their steps until they arrived back at where the hallway originally split. A few doors down, three guards stood, one of which seemed to be lecturing the other two. Dan took aim and surged forward, Phil following close behind. “Where did they put her?” he yelled as they fumbled for their own weapons. Before any of them could take them out, though, Dan shot the biggest, straight through the forehead, and turned to the next man. Slowly, he raised his hands, his buddy following suit. “Where is she?”

The guard on the right spoke up. “Two doors away,” He had a thick Russian accent, and what sounded like a lisp as well. Dan nodded in thanks, before shooting them both in the knees. As much as Phil wanted to, he didn’t ridicule Dan for shooting them, instead following along behind. “You check the left, I’ll do the right,” Dan hissed. Phil tried the handle on his door with no success. Dan had the opposite happen for him. “Either they were lying, or Becca is in there. Go get their keys,” Phil obliged, running back to ruffle through their pockets. He came up with two walkie-talkies and three guns before finally finding a ring of keys. Throwing their weapons and communication aside, he brought the keys to Dan. “This’ll take too long,” he groaned. He threw the keys down and rammed the door with his shoulder.

“Dan, your stomach!”

“I- Don’t- care!” he yelled in between each collision. Phil rolled his eyes and joined in, almost falling to the ground in pain when he accidentally rammed his bad shoulder into the door. Up until then, the adrenaline pumping through his veins had been enough to distract him from the searing pain, up to the point where he’d pretty much forgotten about it. With clenched teeth, he switched sides and did it again.

It only took about a minute before the door opened, revealing Becca, unconscious on the ground. As Dan scooped her up, Phil checked the hallway, horrified to find a dozen guards barreling towards them. “We have company!” he yelled, already sprinting towards the stash of cars and guns.


	9. Chapter 9

It only took about a minute before the door opened, revealing Becca, unconscious on the ground. As Dan scooped her up, Phil checked the hallway, horrified to find a dozen guards barreling towards them. “We have company!” he yelled, already sprinting towards the stash of cars and guns.

As shots rang out behind them, Phil heard Dan yell, “Run in a zigzag!” 

He heeded his advice, but not for long. Soon, they turned into a different hallway, momentarily losing the horde chasing after them. As their hearts kicked into overdrive, Phil heard Dan groan from behind him. Quickly, he turned around to see Dan, hunched over, Becca having been dropped next to him. “We’re almost there, Dan!” He encouraged him, running to help. Together, they lifted the girl back up and proceeded to the oversized door. Just as the faster of the guards made it into their current hallway, Dan and Phil ducked into the warehouse once more, narrowly avoiding an oblivious guard. Phil peeked in the window of an armoured jeep and nodded to Dan. There were keys in the ignition. 

Together, they managed to lie Becca down in the back seat before piling in the front. “Ready?” Dan asked, his hand hovering over the ignition. Phil nodded and reached back to slam the back door as Dan started the car. The engine echoed through the large space, instantly alerting the posted guards, who swarmed around, trying to look for a way in.

Dan froze, scanning the mirrors. “What’re you doing?! Go!” Phil screeched.

“I can’t!”

“Just run them over! You’ve killed enough people, what’s a few more matter?!”

Dan slammed his hands down on the wheel in frustration. “Phil, I can’t drive a stick!”

“Move over then!” 

As Phil squished himself in the driver's seat next to Dan, a small voice piped up from the backseat. “Danny? What’s going on?!” 

Both men whipped around to see Becca’s wide, frightened eyes. Before Dan could comfort her, Phil yelled, “Hold on Becca,” and moved the car into reverse. He stepped on the gas, wincing at the thumps that sounded from the rear bumper. With most of the angry men out of the way, Phil scanned for a way out, and, to his utter shock and delight, saw one. A large double door, leading outside, that was slowly being pulled closed. Quickly, he pulled the car into the centre of the room, and raced down the middle, squeezing his eyes shut so as to not have to look at the men unfortunate enough to get caught under his wheels. 

Even as Dan and Becca screamed, and bullets ricocheted off the armoured exterior of the jeep, Phil didn’t let up on the accelerator even a fraction of an inch. They needed all the speed they could gather if they were going to make it through that steel door. Time seemed to stop as the car hurtled down the middle aisle, and as the front of the jeep kissed the door, and as Dan’s and Becca’s yells faded from Phil's ears, as he was thrown forward in his seat, and as the world around him faded to a soft, comforting black.

Phil woke up slowly, light bouncing off his eyelids as he tried to open them. “- saved your ass, Bec. He’s good people, y’know?” Dan. Who’s Dan talking to? Dear God, my head, Phil thought groggily.

“I wonder when he’ll wake up… it’s been a while,” A girl? “Do you think he’s okay?” 

Phil groaned as he tried to sit up, instantly being pushed back down by a powerful wave of nausea. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Phil could hear the smirk in his voice. “Phil? Buddy, you awake?”

Another wave of nausea washed over him as all the events of the past day replayed in his mind. “Are we… Urgh,” His throat constricted as he retched up air. 

A hand patted the side of his face gently. “Speak up, T. Can you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up?”

Phil gagged once more before opening his eyes slowly, and pushing Dan’s hand out of his face with his good arm. He managed to sit up this time, although his head immediately flopped backwards onto the headrest. “I’m gonna be sick,”

Dan laughed giddly before seeing the look on Phil's face. “Bec, pull over!”

The car screeched to a halt, and Phil stumbled out, hurling the contents of his stomach onto the side of the road. Dan joined him, rubbing his back and whispering small reassurances in his ear. Soon enough, they were back on the road, Becca and Dan taking turns explaining to Phil what had happened after he passed out. “-They chased us for a while, but Becca was able to lose them,” Dan was saying. “Phil, they brought us all the way to Liverpool,”

“Liverpool?”

Becca looked away from the road for a moment. “It’s the base of Leo’s operation. Well, it was, until Danny shot him in the face,” she said, elbowing his shoulder. The whole exchange had a strange air, considering they were talking about murder.  
“Where are we going now?” Phil asked, rubbing his forehead. The two were silent. Phil removed his hand from his face, glaring at them. “Guys, where are we going?” he asked more sternly.

Dan twisted in his seat to see Phil. “To a hospital,”

“Wait, what?” Phil's hand flew back to his face, massaging his temples. “Won’t they recognise you guys?”

Dan shook his head. “There’s a small village in a few miles. They’ve got a clinic. It’s a bit of a, ‘Don’t ask, Don’t tell’ kinda place. No ID check and they don’t report gunshot wounds unless you want them to.” he explained. “Look, we’ve lost a lot of blood. I’m currently being held together by a chiffon cardigan, and you’ve been clocked out since we escaped. We need real care, not your impromptu surgery kit back home,”

Slowly, Phil nodded. His shoulder was killing him, so he could only imagine the kind of pain Dan was in, plus Becca looked pretty beat up, too. “Alright… But how about after that?”

Dan snorted. “Your place, where else? We need to make sure Nally and Bear got home safe, plus everyone else is probably starving,”

Becca made a confused noise. “Everyone else?” Dan brightened and launched into a detailed description of all fifteen animals, throwing random anecdotes each animal reminded him of. 

Phil watched Dan’s animated expressions, and Becca's warm smiles as she listened. He could see why she meant so much to him. Why he was willing to risk death to make sure she was safe. Dan was so happy next to her. Even though Phil was ecstatic to have helped this girl, he couldn’t help but feel jealous of her. She was so special in Dan’s eyes. With these thoughts floating around in his head, he fell into a light sleep, drifting off to the even tone of Dan’s voice.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Very Very Very short conclusion. There might be one last chapter, but im not sure yet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 100 people? Being interested enough in my sub-par summery to click on, and READ my half-baked fanfic? What?? Thank you so much!!

When he woke up again, it was night time, and it was Becca that woke him, instead of Dan. “Phil, I’m going to pull up here to use the loo. Do you need to go as well?” 

Phil rubbed his eyes and looked out the window, spotting a gas station. “No, I’m fine, thanks,”

Becca sighed. “Just me then?” she asked, turning to Dan. He nodded. “I’ll be quick then,” Three minutes later, they were parked under a neon sign advertising one pound snacks and beverages. Becca got out and raced towards the entrance, still, paranoid someone was watching.

Phil waited for her to enter the store before taking her seat up front. He looked at Dan who was holding Becca ’s bunched up and blood-soaked cardigan over his side. “How’re you doing?” he asked.

Dan chuckled, trying to hide how much pain he was in, but it showed through anyway. “Thanks to those stitches, I’ll live,” he said. “If not for them, I think I’d be dead…” he trailed off letting the gratitude hang in the air. 

Silence fell as Phil's shoulder throbbed. It had been a short blade, so the wound wasn’t very deep, but it hurt, and restricted his movement nonetheless. Brushing this aside, Phil spoke up. “Hey, Dan?”

“Yeah?”

Phil moved so his whole body was facing him. “I know it’s not the best time, but… Would you ever consider living in the woods? With me?”

Dan smiled. “Depends. Is Becca invited?”

Phil nodded hurriedly. “Of course! I mean, there are only two bedrooms, so we would have to take turns, and she’d have to be willing to live in the-” Phil was silenced by Dan's lips on his own. Even though they both tasted like blood, dirt and sweat, Phil couldn’t be more happy to be kissing the broken man. 

The two were unfortunately interrupted by Becca yanking the driver seat door open obliviously. After spotting the romantic spectacle, she covered her eyes and yelled, “A little warning would have been nice, ya’ doofus!”

While Phil blushed furiously, Dan simply scoffed. “You had it coming. I can’t tell you many times I’ve walked in on you kissing some random guy,”

Becca rolled her eyes and climbed into the back. “Let’s get to that damned clinic already,” she told Phil. “I think the blood loss is making him loopy,” Phil laughed and started the car, pulling back onto the freeway. Despite the trio’s obvious pain and exhaustion, they were able to hold a lighthearted conversation. After about ten minutes of quiet banter, Becca turned to Phil once more. “So, Phil. Tell me about yourself,”


End file.
